1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of an electronics rack for housing electronic components, such as server blades, storage devices, or network switches. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to the design of an electronics rack with a movable power distribution unit (PDU), which can be moved to create an access space to service other components in the electronics rack.
2. Related Art
Perhaps the most significant development on the Internet in recent years has been the rapid proliferation of online social networks, such as LinkedIn® and Facebook®. Billions of users are presently accessing such social networks to connect with friends and acquaintances and to share personal and professional information. In order to handle this large volume of traffic, these online social networks are increasingly relying on enterprise computer systems to run their websites. A failure of one of these enterprise computing systems can be disastrous, potentially resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. More importantly, a failure can undermine user satisfaction, making users less likely to access a particular online social network. Hence, it is critically important to ensure high availability of such enterprise computing systems.
These enterprise computer systems are typically mounted in racks housed in data centers. To ensure continuous functioning of the enterprise computer systems, each rack typically includes multiple power distribution units (PDUs) that supply power to the electronic components in the rack. In this way, when one of the PDUs fails, the electronic components will continue to receive power from another PDU in the rack.
However, replacing a failed PDU can be pose problems. Note that space is at a premium inside a rack, so the multiple PDUs are typically located in close proximity to each other. Unfortunately, this close proximity and the large number of power cables that connect the PDUs to the electronic components in a rack often makes it impossible to replace a failed PDU without powering down the entire rack.